Taught by Eric Martz.
Visit the class home page.
This course provides an introduction to the science of immunology for upper level undergraduates and graduate students. The course follows and includes most of the textbook (see the class home page for the current text).
The first half of the course covers basic mechanisms including natural vs. adaptive immunity, clonal selection, types and functions of white blood cells, T and B lymphocytes and their recirculation via the lymphatic system, antibody structure and function, genetics and generation of diversity in antibody and T cell receptors, major histocompatibility antigen structure and function, antigen presentation, primary and secondary immune responses, complement, cytokines, receptor-mediated triggering of cellular responses via second messengers, and cell-mediated killing by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) and natural killer cells (NK).
The second half of the course deals with the role of the immune system in health and disease, including how the immune system deals with infection, allergy and hypersensitivity, tissue graft rejection, clinical tissue matching, clinical immunosuppression, the immune system vs. cancer, autoimmune diseases, and congenital and acquired immunodeficiencies including AIDS.
The class has typically about 50 students, of which about 35-40 are undergraduates. The students come from diverse majors and graduate programs.